MAGUIRE VOWS TO OVERCOME HIS GREEK ORDEAL

Manchester United captain Harry Maguire insists he will be able to put his nightmare holiday experience behind him and refocus on football because of his mental strength.

The defender is confident the truth will come out following his successful lodging of an appeal against a court verdict on the Greek island of Syros.

He is thankful for the support of everybody at the club, after speaking with manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, in the wake of an incident in Mykonos, where he was on an end-of-season break with his family.

“It’s been a massive privilege to play for the club,” he told the BBC in an interview. “Never mind to be a captain. One thing I will say is how supportive the club has been from top to bottom. They’ve been great with me and I thank them for that.

“It means everything. Obviously it’s been such a difficult time. My main focus has been my family but the next best thing to family is football. So playing for Manchester United is something I love and the club, honestly, has been great with me.”

The centre-back is adamant he will be in the right frame of mind, physically and mentally, to pull on the red shirt again in the upcoming Premier League season.

“I'm physically good,” he said. “I'm mentally strong. Like I've said previously, mentally, I feel I can get over this. I'm a strong guy.

“My personality will stay exactly the same. I don't think it will affect my performances.

“I will get over it pretty quickly. My conscience is clear. I know the truth.

“I don’t feel like I owe an apology to anybody,” he asserted. “An apology is something when you’ve done something wrong. Do I regret? I regret being in a situation as obviously the situation has made it difficult, and I believe I am at the biggest club in the world, so I regret putting the fans, the club through this.”

The England international revealed his desire to enjoy a normal family holiday at a destination he has great affection for, at the end of an extended and exhausting season.

“I think it could have happened anywhere,” he reasoned. “I love Greece. I think us footballers get a bit of stick for trying to stay away from everything and the public eye but that’s not the way I want to live my life.”

Harry was convicted in an initial trial related to a series of events, which started with him protecting his sister during an incident in Mykonos. However, the acceptance of his appeal means that the verdict was nullified and Harry is, once again, presumed innocent as he awaits a full retrial at a later date.

“I have great faith in Greek law,“ he said. “And a retrial will give us more time to prepare, gather the evidence, allow witnesses into the court and I’m really confident that the truth will be told.”